Tibet

As the Doklam standoff ended last week, observers were left wondering what the legal circumstances of the situation is, including the international legal status of Tibet. Even the large online Wikipedia encyclopedia added a section titled “Tibetan sovereignty debate” which was last edited on August 27th, 2017.[1]

The Agreement Between The Republic Of India And The People’s Republic Of China On Trade And Intercourse Between Tibet Region Of China And India (1954) consists of a bi-lateral treaty with conditions stated in exchange of notes signed by the plenipotentiaries of both nations which are legally binding.

There is a lot of talk, and writings, that China’s minorities have become a huge challenge to the Chinese Communist Party and the security and integrity of the nation. How correct is this assessment? The party leadership is convinced that the Tibetans and the Muslim Uighurs pose this threat, encouraged and abetted mainly by the west.

China’s India-policy formulations and China’s long range intentions need to be deciphered in view of Indian PM Modi’s visit to China next month. China’s long range intentions pertaining to India are neither benign nor friendly and this must never be lost sight of.

There is a saying that those who do not learn form history are condemned to repeat it. Have the Indian political leaders forgotten those brief years of “Hindi-Chini bhai-bhai” (Indians and Chinese are brothers), and subsequent events which reverberate even today?

In view of the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence (Panchsheel) between India and China, the year 2014 has been declared as the year of friendly exchanges, and various activities have been planned throughout the year as part of the celebrations.